


Mission Sick

by HyperactivePuppy



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Caretaker Hunk, Caretaker Lance, Caring Hunk, Carsick, Emetophobia, Gen, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith (Voltron) Has Panic Attacks, Keith (Voltron) Whump, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith gets sick, Lance (Voltron) Angst, Lance (Voltron) Whump, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Miserable Keith, Panic Attacks, SO MUCH Vomit, Sick Keith (Voltron), Sick Lance (Voltron), Sickfic, Vomit, airsick, caretaker shiro, motion sick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2019-10-22 11:24:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17661650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperactivePuppy/pseuds/HyperactivePuppy
Summary: While trying to get to a rebal base, the paladins are forced to use space transit rather than fly their lions in. Keith woke up feeling sick, but didn't say anything, and ends up getting really sick on the flight. Lance and Hunk care for him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a very quickly written Keith sickfic. There will be more chapters coming as well. Hope you enjoy!

Keith sighed, rubbing his fingers along the back of his neck and grimacing when they came back damp with sweat. He shivered, keeping his eyes trained on the floor so they were shielded from the bright florescent lights above. Why did the lights have to be so bright? Why was this space airport so massive?

Slowly, Keith began to wonder if going on this mission had been such a good idea. He had felt off when he woke up, but chalked it up to nerves and disorientation from having to wake up so insanely early. Kolivan had identified a rebel base buried in high Galra territory and after much discussion it had been decided that taking the lions in would be far too risky. So instead, they had decided to rely on the standard space transit to make their way to the base. It was a much slower form of travel, but it would get them to their destination without suspicion.

The problem was, as soon as Coran had dropped them off at the space airport, the dull queasiness Keith had felt since he woke up had intensified into downright nausea. He tried to hide it from the rest of the team, schooling his features into a deep frown as he fought to keep up with the group’s quick pace. It didn’t take long before he was trailing behind the others, panting and out of breath. His vision was flickering and blurring unpleasantly and Keith had to fight the urge to just plop down right there on the floor and curl into a miserable ball. No matter how awful he felt, he would never let the others know. He had to stay strong. He had to—

“Keith?”

The voice startled him out of his thoughts and he looked up, wincing at the bright lights. Hunk was standing a few feet away, eyes tinted with worry. It was then that Keith realised he had stopped walking.

“Are you okay?” Hunk pressed, taking a step closer.

Keith hurriedly nodded his head, swallowing to clear his throat as he unconsciously took a step back from Hunk. “Yes. I’m fine,” he said quickly, trying to ignore the way his voice quavered slightly on the last word.

Hunk did not look convinced. “Are you sure? You’re really pale…”

Keith nodded again, feeling hot all over. He wished Hunk would leave him alone. He didn’t feel like arguing while the nausea was still wreaking havoc on his stomach.

Hunk looked like he wanted to say something else, but was stopped by Allura’s concerned voice.

“Everything okay, you two?” she called, having stopped a little way ahead a doubled back.

“Yes,” he replied before Hunk had a chance to answer. He crossed his arms across his chest and walked as quickly as his aching stomach would allow to get away from Hunk. He loved the guy, he really did, but right now he could not stand his concern. It was weak. He _couldn’t_ be weak.

They reached their gate without much trouble and Keith gratefully sank down into a chair, crossing his arms as he let his eyes slip closed. He felt cold and shivery, his whole body aching as shudders ran through it. All of a sudden, he longed for his bed back on the castle. Sure, it was stark and unlived in, but it was _warm_. At some point he must have drifted off because the next thing he knew, there were hands shaking him awake and an urgent tone in his ear.

“Keith! Come on, wake up!”

Lance. Keith groaned and tried to turn away from Lance, refusing to open his eyes. His head throbbed and he felt cold and achy all over.

“Keith! We need to go now! The shuttle is leaving!” Lance shouted urgently.

Keith tried to protest as he was dragged from the seat, but his words didn’t seem to work. Lance was already tugging him towards the entrance to the shuttle, movements urgent and stiff.

By the time they stepped aboard the shuttle, the creature in Keith’s stomach was doing flips and twirls. Suddenly it wasn’t so much a case of _if_ he would throw up, but _when_ he would throw up. Still, he swallowed it down and let Lance shove him into a seat before settling down next to him.

Shaking hands found the edges of the seatbelt and he pulled it around his waist just as the speakers above crackled to life.

“Thank you for choosing to fly...”

Keith drowned out the rest, focussing on taking deep, steady breaths in through his nose. Suddenly he felt way too hot, his jacket suffocating in the stuffy shuttle. Nausea coiled upwards, licking at his throat as cold sweat broke out on the back of his neck. How was he ever going to make it through this flight?

The shuttle was already humming to life, blasters roaring as it lifted off the platform and shot up into space. Keith grabbed the armrests and squeezed his eyes shut, willing his stomach contents to stay in place. The shuttle gave one last burst of speed upwards before settling out at a steady course. It was too late though. The damage had already been done.

Keith swallowed hard, staring down at the patterned seat in front of him. He couldn’t move. He was going to throw up. Shudders ran through his body as a thin buzzing rose in his ears. He needed to tell someone. He couldn’t hide it anymore.

“Lance?” he choked out, hand reaching blindly for the paladin sitting next to him.

“Hm?” Lance began, before cutting off with a gasp of surprise. “Keith? What’s wrong, buddy?”

Keith felt like crying. He just wanted out of there. Why did this have to happen in front of Lance?

Keith just shook his head, pressing a shaking hand to his mouth.

“Aw shit,” Lance muttered, quickly catching on. “You feel sick?” He didn’t wait for a response; Keith’s body language was answer enough. He started frantically looking around, eyes scanning the ship.

Keith closed his eyes, feeling his stomach heave angrily. “Lance,” he said again, urgency clear in his tremulous voice. “’m gonna throw up.”

And he did. Before Lance had a chance to react, Keith was leaning forward and heaving up a disgusting flood of half-digested food all over himself and the seat.

“Ah damn, Keith, not on yourself!” Lance cursed, reaching over to guide Keith’s face so he was leaning over the floor.

Keith made a miserable whimper before bringing up another mouthful of sick. It splashed onto the floor, splattering his boots and the edges of Lance’s pants.

“Okay, okay, okay…” Lance was mumbling, one hand resting on Keith’s back while the other gathered up the paladin’s long dark hair. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been quick enough to rescue it from the first round of vomiting and the ends were slimy with sick. Yuck. He would definitely need a shower after this.

Keith coughed again, gagging hard over the floor, but nothing came up. Tears pricked at his eyes, brought on by pain and sheer humiliation of the situation he was in. He could hear Lance speaking above him, pulling his hair out of his face, but that just made him feel worse. He wanted Shiro. Shiro would know what to do. But he wasn’t meeting them until the next stop.

Then Lance’s voice was breaking through the silence again and Keith felt his heart burn with embarrassment. He didn’t want anyone else to see him like this. Having Lance there was already horrible enough. But it was too late.

“Hunk!” Lance called frantically and Keith felt the steady hand leave his back. He shivered at the loss of contact, even though he had been convinced he hated it.

Hunk was already pounding up to their seats, eyes going wide at the site in front of him. “What happened?” he asked, grimacing as the smell hit him.

Lance shrugged, looking slightly panicked. “I don’t know. He was looking really out of it and then he just suddenly puked. I didn’t have time to do anything!” Lance’s voice had risen to a high squeak and it was clear he was overwhelmed by the situation.

Hunk glanced over to where Keith was still bent double, leaning over his seat as he panted down at the floor. Strings of drool dripped from his lips and his eyes were squeezed shut.

“Motion sickness?” he suggested, frowning at Lance.

“Dunno. I didn’t know Keith got motion sickness. I would have thought you’d be the first to be sick if that were the case.”

Hunk nodded, frown deepening. “You’re right. The shuttle hasn’t even hit that much turbulence. Besides, Keith wasn’t looking well before we even got on the ship. He was super pale on the way over.”

Lance sighed, groaning. “Why didn’t you say anything?” he said, directing his question at Keith.

Keith just groaned, giving a small whimper. “m not sick,” he mumbled, swiping a shaking hand across his mouth.

“Yeah…try that again when you’re not covered in your own puke,” Lance chuckled, grimacing slightly. He looked up at Hunk, eyes questioning. “How much longer is the flight?”

“About half a varga,” Hunk replied, eying the mess coating the red paladin, his seat, and the floor in front of him. “We should try and clean him up as best we can here and then we can do a better job once we land,” he suggested. He leaned down next to Keith, resting his hand on the boy’s back and trying to get a better look at his eyes. “How are you feeling, buddy?”

Keith just shrugged, groaning softly. “m okay,” he mumbled, swallowing hard.

Hunk chuckled softly, rubbing his hand up and down the smaller boy’s back. “Sorry, that was an awful question. I know it sucks and you’re probably feeling pretty miserable right now. But do you feel like you might throw up again?”

Keith frowned, considering the question. “Dunno,” he said finally, voice scratchy. “Still feel nauseous but I think I’m okay for now.” He tried to smile, he really did, but it came out as more of a grimace.

Hunk sighed. “Okay. Lance, can you go and see if you can get some ginger ale? Or whatever the alien equivalent is? It might help to settle his stomach a little.”

Lance nodded and slid out of his seat, making room for Hunk as he hurried off to look for the sparkling drink.

With the blue paladin gone, Hunk slid into the seat next to Keith, rubbing smooth circles into his back and trying not to grimace at the strong smell of sick. “Do you think you’ll be okay for a minute while I go and get some paper towels?” he asked gently.

Keith nodded, sniffing hard. “Yeah.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” Hunk jumped up from the seat and hurried towards the small bathroom at the back of the shuttle. Once there, he grabbed several large handfuls of paper towels and hurried back.

Keith was in the same position as before, hunched over himself with his eyes trained on the floor.

“Hey,” Hunk said cheerfully, trying to make the situation as light as he could. He knew Keith was beyond mortified at what had happened and he really wanted to lighten some of that pressure.

Keith gave a hum in response as Hunk sat down next to him again, paper towels in hand. “Alright, let’s get you cleaned up a bit. Can you take off your jacket?”

Keith nodded and removed the sick stained piece of clothing, setting it to the side with a grimace. His grey t-shirt seemed to have survived the incident unscathed, but his pants and boots were another story entirely.

Hunk sighed and leant over his friend, wiping away as much of the sick coating Keith’s pants as he could with the paper towels he had gathered. It wasn’t the best, but it would have to do.

While he worked, Keith had started to shiver again, cold settling in after the overwhelming heat that always comes with throwing up. He missed his jacket. He felt gross and cold and disgusting and he just wanted to go back to the castle and hide in his room, away from prying eyes and sympathetic glances. A sob hitched in his throat and he gulped it back, trying to swallow the tears that welled in his eyes.

“Aw Keith, hey…” Hunk said, noticing the change. He dropped the paper towels and returned his hand to the other’s shaking back. “It’s okay. I know you feel gross—trust me, I’ve been here before. But it happens to everyone. You can’t help getting sick. None of us blame you and none of us think any less of you because of it.”

Keith sniffed, wiping at his running nose with the back of his hand. “m sorry,” he mumbled, trying desperately to hold back the tears that kept rising. “This is really gross.”

Hunk chuckled, smiling at Keith good-naturedly. “I’m not going to lie, it is gross. But that doesn’t mean we’re going to leave you alone when you aren’t feeling well. What kind of friends would that make us? We’ll get through this flight and then get you cleaned up properly. We have a few hours before our next flight so we have plenty of time.”

Keith nodded slowly and to his great relief, managed to stop the threat of tears before Lance returned brandishing a large pink bottle. “They said this helps with upset stomachs,” he explained, handing the bottle to Hunk. “No idea what it is, but its fizzy and smells kind of flowery.”

Hunk shrugged and unscrewed the cap, sniffing the contents before handing it to Keith. “Here, try some of this. It will at least get the taste out of your mouth.”

Keith obliged, taking a tentative sip, swishing it around his mouth, and then going in for a longer swig. “It’s good,” he said when he pulled back for air.

Hunk smiled. “There we go. You’re starting to look a bit less pale now, so I think it at least helped a little. Now, why don’t you try closing your eyes for a bit? We still have a little while before we land.”

Keith nodded, his eyes already drooping closed. He curled his head against the armrest, trying to ignore the pungent scent of vomit that still permeated the small space.

He was asleep within moments.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Hunk help Keith clean up in the airport before they meet Shiro for their next flight. Keith seemed to be doing better, but things take a turn for the worse on the flight...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I am shocked at the wonderful feedback I have gotten on this story! I am so glad everyone is enjoying it so much! I just want to say that your comments and kudos absolutely make my day and I just can't thank you all enough for your support :).

Keith woke to someone gently shaking his shoulders. He groaned, trying to turn away from the touch, but whoever it was seemed persistent to get him up.

“Keith, come on buddy. You have to get up.”  Hunk’s voice was gentle but insistent and Keith blinked his eyes open to find Hunk and Lance staring down at him. He swallowed and sat up, trying to ignore the way his clothes reeked of partially dried sick.

“Hey sleeping beauty,” Lance greeted, obviously trying to lighten the mood. The slight tremor to his voice gave away his worry though and Keith felt even worse.

“Come on, let’s get off this shuttle so we can clean you up a little better,” Hunk suggested, patting Keith’s shoulder kindly.

There wasn’t really much else to do except follow his companions off the shuttle. As soon as he stood, Keith felt the world spin around him and he had to brace himself against the wall for a moment before continuing. He felt cold and shaky and his head _throbbed_.

Hunk kept his hand on the red paladin’s shoulder as they walked off the shuttle, leaving him space, but watching carefully to see if he needed help. Keith looked far too pale and he wanted to be prepared if things took a turn for the worse.

They were met in the loading area by a very anxious Pidge and Allura, both of whom had yet to realise their companion’s condition.

“Oh no, what happened!” Allura cried in alarm, discarding the digital map she had been examining with Pidge.

Keith shrunk back, face burning in shame. He was all too aware of the vomit coating his clothes and the way his hair was sticking up at odd angles. He didn’t want all this attention. He just wanted to curl into a ball in the bathroom and never face any of the other paladins again.

“Ah…” Lance said, scratching the back of his neck. “Keith’s not feeling so great.” Understatement of the day, but he could see how mortified his friend looked and didn’t want to add unnecessary details to the explanation.

“Great deduction, Lance,” Pidge quipped, jumping up to stand next to Allura. She peered up at Keith, frowning when he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

“Yeah, whatever. We still have a little while before we have to meet Shiro for the next shuttle, so I think we’re going to head to the bathroom and clean up a bit.”

Pidge frowned in confusion, evidently surprised Lance wasn’t taking this golden opportunity to make fun of Keith. “Alright, Allura and I will be in the waiting area.”

Keith had barely heard a word that was said, too absorbed in his own humiliation to really pay attention. But all too soon he was being taken by the arm again and Hunk and Lance were leading him across the hall to the bathrooms.

It was clean inside, not that that really mattered. Keith didn’t think he could stand for much longer, even if that meant sitting on a grungy bathroom floor. As soon as they crossed through the sliding doors, he sank to the ground, burying his head in his hands.

Lance went down with him, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Hey…still not feeling good?”

Keith shrugged. The blinding nausea from before had faded to a dull queasiness—present, but not completely debilitating. His clothes were a different story. He could not stand the feeling of the dirty fabric any longer, not with is rancid smell and crusty feel. Just the thought had him shuddering again. “Feel gross,” he mumbled, turning away from Lance.

“Hey Hunk?” Lance called, straightening up. “Any idea what we can do about his clothes?”

Hunk sighed, coming to kneel down next to Keith with a couple of wet paper towels in his hand. “Yeah, I was trying to figure that out… His shirt seems okay, but…” He glanced down at Keith’s pants. “Yeah, those have to go.” He grimaced and bent down, beginning to wipe at Keith’s boots with the paper towels.

Keith stayed silent, eyes trained on the floor.

“If you stay with him, I can go and see if I can find some pants in one of the shops around here,” Hunk suggested after a while, setting the dirty towels aside and straightening up.

Lance nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah, that’s probably our best bet.”

They exchanged a few quiet words that Keith couldn’t make out before Hunk disappeared through the sliding doors and Lance was bending down beside him.

“Alright, how about we do something about your hair? Wouldn’t want that mullet looking out of shape now would be?” He grinned, shoving Keith’s shoulder lightly as he pulled the other boy to his feet.

Keith ignored him but let Lance guide him over to the sinks.

“Okay…I think its probably best if you just lean over the sink…then we won’t get water everywhere,” Lance explained, leaving no choice in the matter as he guided Keith’s head over the sink and turned on the water.

Keith flinched at the sudden spray, swallowing back a surprised cry. This was honestly one of the most awkward situations he had ever been in. He prayed Hunk wouldn’t come back soon.

Despite Keith’s tense posture, Lance continued to work at washing his hair, humming as he scrubbed and rinsed the soap away with warm water. He did his best at drying the dark locks with paper towels, resulting in several protests from Keith and a sopping pile of paper. But by the time Hunk returned, Keith was feeling much better.

“This is all I could find,” Hunk said, holding out a pair of black pants and a grey hoodie.

“Thanks,” Keith said, the ghost of a smile curving his lips.

“You’re looking a bit better,” Hunk commented, smiling back. “Now go get changed. We need to meet Shiro in a couple doboshes.”

Keith took the clothes and slipped into one of the stalls to change. It felt so good to get the filthy clothes off, he almost felt as if nothing had happened. Almost. With a huff of defiance, he shoved his old pants into the rubbish bin and unlocked the stall.

Lance whistled softly, grinning at his friend. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Keith wear a hoodie. It looks good on you, man!”

Despite himself, Keith laughed, shoving Lance’s shoulder as he drew level with the other two. “Don’t push your luck.”

They made their way out of the bathroom and down through the space airport to the waiting area where they were supposed to meet Shiro.

Pidge jumped to her feet when she saw them, a large grin on her face. “Look what we found!” she cried in excitement, brandishing a dish of something orange and frozen.

“Is that, ice cream?!” Hunk asked, eyes going wide.

“Gelato!” Pidge said, holding out the cup for Hunk to see. “Allura and I found a stand while we were waiting. Apparently, some alien went to earth to study the stuff, and then brought it here!”

It didn’t take long for Lance and Hunk to dash off in the direction Pidge indicated in search of gelato.

Keith smiled at their antics but didn’t follow. He was feeling tired and drained and his eyes kept drifting out of focus. Sinking down into one of the chairs, he leant back and crossed his arms across his chest. His eyes were just drifting shut when a voice jolted them open.

“Are you feeling better?”

It was Allura. She was leaning forward in her seat, a cup of pink gelato balanced on her knee. Concern was etched across her features and her lips were slightly parted, indicating she had more to say.

“Yeah, I am,” Keith answered after a moment, forcing himself to make eye contact with Allura. “I guess I just got a bit airsick…” He winced, hating to admit it. He hadn’t gotten airsick in _years_. Why now?

“I am sorry to hear that,” Allura said, frown deepening. “From what I’ve seen, it does not seem very pleasant.”

Keith laughed dryly. “It’s not. I think I’m good now though.”

They fell into silence, Keith biting his lip as Allura continued to visually examine him as if looking for any outer signs of illness. It was altogether quite uncomfortable. Maybe Alteans didn’t understand the concept of personal space…

The awkwardness was broken when Lance and Hunk returned, each with two cups of gelato.

“We thought you and Shiro might want some,” Hunk explained, handing one of the cups to Keith. “You don’t have to finish it, but it might be good to get something in your stomach before we fly again.”

Keith nodded and accepted the cup, taking a small spoonful and licking at it experimentally. When his stomach didn’t wring itself into knots, he took another bite. Pidge was right, it really was incredible. He sighed as the icy substance dissolved on his tongue, melting away the stale feeling and cooling the inside of his mouth.

They were all enjoying their gelato when Shiro stepped up, a wide grin spreading across his face when he spotted the small group.

“Shiro! Just in time, the flight from here will be leaving soon,” Lance announced, jumping up and delivering his extra gelato to Shiro.

As if to prove Lance correct, an announcement went over the intercoms, stating that it was time to start boarding the shuttle.

This was a much longer flight and the shuttle was larger, with three seats along one side instead of two. Keith slid into a window seat, followed by Lance and Shiro. The other three sat a couple of rows ahead, Pidge and Hunk already pulling out one of the Altean tablets to play video games.

Keith closed his eyes, letting the cool air from above wash over him. Tremors were running through his body and the palms of his hands were starting to sweat. He felt nervous suddenly, trapped with no escape. What if he got sick again? What if he couldn’t get past the others and didn’t make it to the bathroom?

He was starting to shake, breath hitching as these thoughts tumbled through his mind.

“—eith, Hey. Keith.”

Lance was calling to him, rubbing up and down his arm.

“It’s okay. Just breathe.”

Keith nodded stiffly, sucking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. Lance’s hand continued to rub circles into his shoulder, soothing and comforting.

After a moment he asked softly, “you feeling sick again?

Keith shook his head. No, it was more a _fear_ of feeling sick again. “I’m okay,” he whispered, keeping his voice low so Shiro wouldn’t hear.

Lance smiled softly and patted his shoulder. “Why don’t you try and sleep for a while? It will make the time pass quicker and you look pretty tired.”

 

* * *

 

 

Whether it was the motion that did him in or the gelato he had so eagerly consumed, but Keith woke up feeling awful. A raging fire had awoken within him, burning his cheeks and neck and consuming him in relentless heat. He gulped, trying to tug off his hoodie, but giving up quickly when the movement made his stomach lurch menacingly. He squeezed his eyes shut, sucking in great gulps of air to try and calm the nausea threatening to overwhelm him. It was okay. It was fine. If he just sat perfectly still, the horrible feeling would go away, right?

Wrong. As Keith continued to breathe heavily, the nausea only grew, spreading an awful heaviness to the back of his throat and sending shudders through his body. His tongue felt thick and tingly and there was a buzzing in his ears. He knew that feeling. There was no fighting it now.

“Lance,” he gulped out, eyes still jammed shut. When he received no reply from the other paladin, he tried again, reaching out blindly to try and get the other’s attention.

Lance jolted awake, blinking around in confusion as he tried to locate the cause of his sudden awakening. “Keith, man, if you had a question you could just ask. You don’t have to hit me!”

Keith made no reply, instead raising a shaking hand to clamp over his mouth.

Lance frowned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Keith? Aw shit.” He looked frantically around, desperate to prevent a repeat of their earlier performance.

Keith was shaking, his eyes bulging with panic. “Lance,” he choked out, drawing his hand back slightly as he convulsed, dry heaving over his lap.

“Okay okay. Hold on, Keith. Just a minute…Shiro!” Lance shouted, turning frantically to the sleeping paladin next to him.

Shiro blinked awake, confusion flickering across his eyes for a moment as he took in the situation. He didn’t seem as panicked as Lance, and within seconds was rummaging through the pocket of the seat in front of him. “Here,” he said, shoving an airsick bag at Lance.

Lance took it, ripping off the top before leaning over and positioning the bag in front of Keith’s face. With his other hand he gathered up Keith’s hair, pulling his long bangs away from his face. “Okay, you’re good now, it’s okay,” he murmured, trying to soothe the obviously panicked boy.

Keith lurched forward and retched, the sound morphing into a strangled sob halfway through. He opened his mouth, letting strings of saliva drip down into the open bag. He was shaking all over, eyes wide and panicked in the dim light of the ship.

“Aw Keith…” Shiro murmured, reaching over Lance to position one large hand on Keith’s back. He rubbed back and forth in soothing motions, quietly shushing the sick paladin.

“F-feel sick,” Keith gasped out, reaching over and gripping onto Lance’s arm with his left hand.

“I know, I know,” Lance said, adjusting his grip on the bag to accommodate for Keith’s hold on his arm. “Shiro, do you have a hair tie or something?” he asked, turning to face the older paladin.

Shiro nodded quickly, rooting around in his pocket before producing a thin black hair tie.

Lance took it, holding it in his teeth while he pulled Keith’s hair back into a small ponytail and tied it up.

Keith was hunching over again, breathing raggedly as his stomach fought to eject its contents. He gulped in a shuddery breath before lurching forward, retching hard into the bag. A thin stream of liquid spilled from his mouth and he coughed harshly, gagging as more of the stuff shot out of his nose. He whimpered, gripping Lance’s arm harder as his stomach continued to writhe and heave.

“Hey, shhh. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay,” Lance soothed, moving his free hand to Keith’s shoulder.

Keith just shook his head, tears burning in his eyes as he brought up another mouthful of sick into the bag. “I—I don’t. Don’t feel good,” he gasped, voice shaking as he sucked in great gulps of air.

“I know you don’t, buddy. I know. But you’re doing great,” Lance reassured, rubbing Keith’s shoulder. “Just got to get rid of whatever’s making you feel so sick, right?”

Keith gave another choked sob, hot tears staining his cheeks as a guttural heave ripped through his throat. He coughed and spat into the bag, sniffing as liquid dripped down his face. He couldn’t stop shaking. He was freezing cold now, his body enveloped in ice. His nose stung from the acid that had been forced up it and he reached up, trying to wipe a hand across his face.

“Hey, no no,” Lance interjected, catching Keith’s hand and pulling it back down. “Shiro, can you grab some tissues?”

Shiro nodded wordlessly and handed a packet of tissues across to Lance who pulled out a couple and gave them to Keith.

Keith took the tissues with shaking hands, coughing as he brought them to his face and wiped away some of the sick before blowing his aching nose.

Lance, meanwhile, had grabbed the bottle of pink ginger ale from his bag and was unscrewing the cap. “You think you’re done for now?” he asked Keith.

Keith nodded slowly, spitting one last time into the bag. “Yeah, think so,” he mumbled, sniffing again.

“Okay, here. Rinse and spit,” Lance instructed, handed the bottle over to Keith.

Keith eyed the bottle warily, but took a small sip, swishing it around in his mouth before leaning over and spitting the liquid out into the bag.

“You good?” Lance asked, hand hovering close by in case Keith needed help.

“Mhm,” Keith hummed, turning away so he wouldn’t have to look at the contents of the bag.

“Alright, let me take that,” Lance said, retrieving the sick bag from Keith’s hands and tying the top off. “There, now maybe try and drink a little of that,” he suggested, indicating the pink bottle still clutched in Keith’s hands.

Keith shook his head, closing his eyes as he sucked in a deep breath. His teeth were chattering and he felt drained and gross. “Can’t,” he mumbled.

“Sure you can. Just try a little. For me?” Lance gave him a winning smile, winking as he nudged the bottle in Keith’s hands. “We can’t have you getting dehydrated. Besides, this stuff is supposed to help your stomach.”

Keith groaned, but lifted the bottle to his lips, taking the smallest of sips before pulling away. The liquid tasted good and his stomach didn’t seem too upset, but he didn’t want to risk it.

“Okay, that was barely anything,” Lance reprimanded, eyeing Keith with raised eyebrows. “You’ll have to drink more than that to replenish all the liquids you’ve lost today. I’m pretty sure this isn’t just airsickness since you’ve gotten sick twice now.” He reached over to lay a hand on Keith’s forehead. “Yep, you’ve got a fever.”

Shiro frowned, speaking for the first time in a while. “Keith was sick before?”

Lance shuddered at the memory. “Yeah. He threw up on the first flight, but we thought it was just airsickness. I thought he was doing better but I guess not…”

Shiro grimaced. “I thought he looked a bit pale… And I swear, I haven’t seen him wear a hoodie in years!”

Lance gave a rather forced laugh. “I know. He kind of puked all over himself earlier so we had to improvise.”

Shiro winced. “Oh man that sucks…”

“Mhm. Not fun. I’m just glad you were so quick this time, otherwise we might have found ourselves drenched in vomit yet again,” Lance laughed, even though his expression was clearly one of relief. He opened his mouth to add something else, but was broken off by a strangled sob from beside him. His eyes immediately widened, smile wiped from his face as he turned. “Keith?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely sure how long this particular story will be, but there will be at least one more chapter after this, if not more. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything starts to catch up with Keith and he panics when he can't stop getting sick. Cue caring Lance and Shiro. This chapter is very angsty but the next one will have more caring fluff in it ;). Gotta balance out all that pain for Keith!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for vomit and panic attacks.

Keith leant over himself, arms wrapped tightly around his chest as he fruitlessly tried to choke back sobs. Tears ran down his cheeks, blinding him. He felt a hand touch his back before moving to stroke through his hair. A sob tore his throat and he jerked away, trying to shake off the touch. He couldn’t stand the thought of someone seeing him like this—so weak and pathetic and miserable. And Lance was just _sitting_  there, murmuring words he couldn’t understand and being so damn nice! He just couldn’t take it.

Fresh tears rose in his eyes and he gulped in a huge breath of air, trying desperately to stop the flood of tears. But it was useless. He just couldn’t stop. He felt so sick and so mortified and he just wanted it all to stop.

“Keith, Keith.”

Someone was saying his name, whispering gently.

“You’ve got to calm down. Its okay. You’re okay. Just breathe.”

Keith struck out at the area the voice was coming from, eyes too blurred with tears to see anything. They didn’t understand. He needed to get out of there. Sickness rose in his throat again and he choked, heaving over his lap. Nothing came up, but already someone was shoving a sick bag in front of his face. “No!” he sobbed, trying to shove it away. He couldn’t get sick here. Not in front of Lance and Shiro.

“Keith!”

Shiro—Keith would recognise that voice anywhere. Hands were on his back again, gently rubbing up and down. He shuddered, but couldn’t bring himself to pull away. Instead he let out a painful sob, clutching at the armrest of his seat.

“I-I need. W-want,” he started, voice shaking with sobs. “Wanna go t’the bathroom.” Somehow, he managed to choke out the whole sentence before acid rose in his throat, cutting off his voice. He shuddered, clamping his jaw shut as heat rose to smother him. If he could just get to the bathroom, it would be okay, right? There would be a closed door, and an actual receptacle to throw up in instead of one of those flimsy bags…

“Okay, okay,” Lance was saying, already reaching down to grip Keith’s arm as he manoeuvred out of their seats. “I’ve got him, Shiro.”

Keith couldn’t speak. If he opened his mouth, he would be sick. Tears rose to blind him and he stumbled as Lance helped him out of his seat and steered him down the aisle to the bathroom. He broke away as they reached the door, collapsing to the floor and fumbling frantically with the toilet lid, his other hand clamped over his mouth. He gave a strangled sob of dismay when his fingers failed to grip the plastic and he was sent lurching forward with a violent heave.

“Shit! Okay, hold on, Keith.” Lance was manoeuvring around him, shoving the lid up and guiding Keith’s head over the bowl just as he began heaving again.

A thick torrent of sick splashed into the bowl and Keith whimpered again, sobbing harder. He couldn’t seem to catch his breath; the room was spinning around him and he still felt so sick. He heaved again, leaning so far into the bowl his nose nearly touched the metal inside. “Help,” he choked out, reaching out blindly to grab at Lance’s arm.

Lance made a shushing sound, rubbing his hand into Keith’s back.

Suddenly there was another voice, deeper and calmer. Shiro.

“Keith, hey,” he said, and Keith felt a warm hand touch his shoulder, grounding him. “It’s okay. Try to breathe in for me, okay?”

Keith whimpered and tried to do as Shiro instructed, but as he sucked in a deep breath, it caught in his throat and he gave a panicked sob and lunged for the toilet.

Worried voices rose around him as he retched over and over again into the bowl, acid tearing at his throat.

“What happened?”

“Is he okay?”

“Do you need help?”

Keith pulled away from the bowl and shrunk down to the ground, curling himself into a ball on the tiny bathroom floor. He sobbed into his chest, shaking uncontrollably.

Then hands were on him, rubbing his shoulder gently. He could hear Lance yelling something, clearly trying to shoo away the spectators. Above him Shiro was talking again, murmuring words he couldn’t understand, but somehow helped to calm him. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out all the noise as panic rose to strangle him and his world slowly faded to black.

 

* * *

 

“Keith? Hey, come on buddy, that’s it. Open your eyes.”

Voices murmured above him, gentle and soft. Keith blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus on his surroundings.

“Oh, thank quiznak!” Someone said, and Keith stiffened, his chest clenching as he felt the figures draw in around him.

Shiro seemed to notice the way his breathing picked up and quickly turned to reprimand the others. “Give him some space, okay? I know you’re all worried, but I don’t want him panicking more.”

Keith felt shame and humiliation slam over him in great waves. Slowly the situation was coming back to him. He was lying on the floor of a tiny ship bathroom after completely freaking out over…over what? Feeling sick? Throwing up? He gulped, feeling slightly nauseous at the thought. What were they all going to think of him now? He had been nothing but trouble on this mission—constantly slowing the others down and now he had completely fallen apart.

Silent tears began to roll down his cheeks and he closed his eyes again.

“Keith? Hey, no, it’s okay. Shh, you’re okay now.” Lance was murmuring. Obviously, he had noticed the tears. As if this couldn’t get any more embarrassing.

“No,” Keith said, voice catching with a sob.

“I know you feel like shit, man. I do. You gave us quite a scare there…but you’re going to be okay. I know it doesn’t really feel like it…but we’re going to look after you.” Lance was rubbing his shoulder again as he spoke, and Keith found it oddly comforting. Sure, he hated to allow himself to be seen in such a weak state, but he just felt so drained and miserable…and Lance had already seen him at his worst. What more was there to hide?

“Just feel really. R-really s-sick,” he choked out, raising his head a little so he could meet Lance’s gaze. “I d-don’t know why. ‘m sorry.” He coughed again, wiping a hand across his mouth.

“Yeah, I know you do, buddy,” Lance said, sighing sadly. He glanced up when he felt Shiro hand him a bottle of water.

“I’m going to try and keep everyone away,” Shiro said softly so that only Lance could hear. “You stay with Keith. Call me if you need anything.”

Lance smiled in response, taking the water before turning back to Keith. “Hey, you want to try some water?” he suggested.

Keith was already shaking his head, flickers of the panic before lighting his eyes. “N-no,” he said, shrinking away from Lance. “Don’t want. Don’ wanna throw up again.”

Lance quickly set the water aside, behind his back so that it was out of Keith’s sight. “Hey, no, it’s okay! You don’t have to,” he said quickly, worried he might send Keith spiralling back into panic.

“’m sorry,” Keith said again, sniffing loudly.

“Nah man, it’s all good. You don’t have to apologise.” Lance smiled and reached up, grabbing a few paper towels and wetting them under the tap.

“Here, clean your face a little. It’ll make you feel better.” He handed the paper towels to Keith, who took them and wiped tiredly at his face.

Silence fell and Lance glanced behind him, wondering if he should try pushing the water again. Maybe if he could at least get Keith to rinse his mouth out…he must be feeling awful with the taste of sickness still there.

“Hey, uh, Keith?” he began, keeping his voice low and gentle. “Do you want to maybe try rinsing your mouth out a bit? You don’t have to drink any!” he added quickly when Keith’s eyes widened. “Just… take a sip and swish it around in your mouth. It might make you feel better.” He unscrewed the cap and handed the water bottle over, waiting until he was sure Keith had a good grip on it before letting go.

Keith stared at the bottle for a moment, eyes wide and scared. He glanced at Lance, swallowed, and then brought the bottle to his lips. He filled his mouth, swished the water around for a moment and then leaned over the toilet, spitting the liquid out. He coughed a little and swiped at his face again.

“Feel better?” Lance asked, smiling as he took the water back from Keith.

Keith nodded, closing his eyes in relief for a moment as he sighed. “Thanks.”

“No problem, that’s what friends are for.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets sick at the airport and they decide to stay at a hotel overnight. But being stuck in a car with a very sick red and blue paladin is recipe for disaster. 
> 
> TW for graphic depictions of vomit and panic attacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Jyoshamatsu for all your help with ideas and inspiration! I would never have thought of all these things without you. Let alone actually written them down! ;)

By the time the ship touched down at the space airport, they were all exhausted. Lance had to shake Keith awake once they landed and even then, he was too woozy to do much, so Lance took his bags while Shiro helped him down the aisle.

Once they got off the plane, they were faced with a new problem. They couldn’t very well continue the mission with Keith’s state. Besides, none of them were eager to do much after the eventful morning.

“Let’s just get a hotel,” Hunk suggested as they all gathered out of the way to decide the best course of action.

Shiro sighed, running a hand through his hair. He’d let go of Keith to pull out his tablet and message Coran. “I think that might be best. We need sleep before we can do anything more anyway.” It was true. All of them were exhausted.

“Do we know where to find a hotel? Do they even have hotels in space?” Hunk was frowning.

“I’m messaging Coran now. We’ll find somewhere.”

Keith didn’t listen. All of the words were blurring together in his mind, merging into the swirling mass of confusion that had filled his brain as soon as Lance woke him. He was dizzy. Really dizzy. And his legs shook as tremors crept up his spine.

He shifted his feet, trying to steady himself. Why did they have to choose somewhere without any chairs?

He gulped, swallowing back bile. The room was spinning, wavering in colourful spirals all around him. It made him sick. He needed to lay down. Like now.

Keith dropped to the floor, wincing as his knees connected with the hard tile. Groaning, he slid down until he was lying flat across the floor, cheek pressed against the tile. It was cool. Soothing. Grounding. He breathed in, focussing on not blacking out. Everything was so dim and wavery. It was all a blur.

Then someone was leaning down, touching him, pulling at his jacket.

“Keith!” Lance called as the red paladin dropped to the floor. “Hey hey hey. What are you doing, man?” His voice was tight and a little bit cross. Not at all like it had been before. “Don’t lie on the floor!”

“Keith?” Shiro knelt down next to him, brushing the hair out of his eyes.

“Ahhh we need to go,” Lance whined, looking desperately at Shiro.

Shiro frowned. That…was weird. It was a complete one-eighty from the caring approach Lance had been directing at Keith all day. But he couldn’t deal with that now. Keith was on the floor, almost passed out.

“Hey, Lance? Can you go grab some water from my bag?”

Lance gulped. “Mhm. Yeah.” He turned, stumbling slightly. Maybe it was seeing Keith so sick, but suddenly he wasn’t feeling all that well himself.

Keith groaned from the floor and Lance’s stomach did a barrel roll. Okay yeah maybe this was more than slight nausea from watching someone else get sick. Besides, he never sympathy puked.

Sweat broke out across his neck, creeping down while nausea rose. Okay. Bathroom _now_.

“Ah…’m Shiro just a sec…’ll be back.”

He whirled around, hand cradling his stomach as he made for the bathroom.

“Shit.” Shiro didn’t often swear, but when he did, things were really bad.

* * *

 

Lance dashed towards the bathroom, hand pressed over his mouth. Saliva built at a rapid pace, filling his mouth and making it nearly impossible not to gag. An overwhelming wave of nausea slammed over him as he reached the middle of the hallway. He doubled up, squeezing his eyes shut and praying that he could keep it down until he got to the bathroom. He was in the middle of the hall. FULL of people. He couldn’t get sick there. But now that he’d stopped, he couldn’t move.

He staggered a few steps forward and gagged, hard. A rush of liquid came up and he tried desperately to catch it in his cupped hands, but another heave came, sending vomit spraying through his clenched fingers. Oh no no no no… This was not happening.

Lance took a step to the side, stumbling slightly. His head spun and more bile was bubbling up his throat. He clenched his jaw, leaning over.

“Lance! Oh my god… okay. You’re okay.” Hunk pushed through the crowd of people, fighting his way to Lance. “Get back. Give him some space,” he snapped at the people in a very un-Hunk way.

He grabbed Lance by the shoulders, steadying him against his chest. The blue paladin swayed, coughing.

“Hunk… don’ feel good.” He gagged, leaning over and spewing sick all over the floor. “Think ‘m sick.”

“Yeah… no kidding. Think you’re done for now?”

Lance shook his head miserably, covering his mouth as a loud burp rumbled up his throat.

“Right, okay. Let’s get you to the bathroom then. Come on.” Hunk steered lance away from the mess. He was stunned and shaky, hiccupping miserably into his cupped hands.

They made it to the bathroom without incident, disregarding the fact that Hunk had to practically drag Lance the whole way. He pushed the blue paladin into a stall and sunk to his knees next to him.

Lance gripped the toilet seat, leaning his head low over the water. He burped, shuddering at the taste it brought up. “Damn it, Keith!” he choked out, resting his aching head on the edge of the toilet. “Just had to go and make me sick too because you have no concept of aim.” He burped again, groaning. “This sucks.”

Hunk sighed, rubbing a hand up and down Lance’s quivering back. “You didn’t exactly make it to the bathroom either, bud.” Jokes always helped Lance. It lightened the mood and made him laugh when he wasn’t feeling well. Hunk knew distractions were key with Lance.

Lance groaned, shifting so he was practically laying over the toilet, long legs sprawled out behind him in a very undignified manner. “But he practically refused to use an airsick bag. Who does that? Their sole purpose in life is for getting sick in! But noooooo. Keith is too stubborn to throw up in them so he pukes all over himself instead.”

“Don’t think that was a choice, Lance…” Hunk couldn’t help but chuckle. Lance always got like this when he was sick. Where Keith got silent and rigid, Lance became whiny and almost floppy. At least he was pretty light so it wasn’t hard to manoeuvre him around.

Lance burped again, gagging hard. He groaned, leaning forward as his stomach heaved. “Mm… Hun-nhhhh.” His whole body shuddered and he brought up more disgusting tasting liquid. “Don’t feel goooood…”

“I know you don’t.” Hunk sighed, rubbing circles on Lance’s back. “Just get it up. You’ll be okay.”

Lance coughed, cheek pressed against the toilet seat. “Think ‘m done.” He groaned.

Hunk nodded. “Okay. Let’s get you cleaned up a bit.” He grabbed the roll of toilet paper and pulled some off, wadding it up and handing it to Lance. “Here, wipe your face off a bit.”

Lance took the toilet paper and wiped his mouth. He threw it in the toilet and spat again, shuddering.

Hunk leaned over and flushed the toilet. “Okay. Let’s get you up and back to the others. Then we can go find a hotel.”

Lance nodded. Hotel meant bed and bed was good.

* * *

 

When they got back to the others, Shiro had managed to get Keith sitting up, but he was propped against the wall, looking pale and sweaty.

“Coran replied,” Shiro said, standing up from where he had been kneeling next to Keith. Hunk had texted him while they were in the bathroom so he knew what had happened with Lance.

“We’re actually pretty lucky. This planet is a main tourist stop so there are lots of hotels. We just have to rent a shuttle. I already talked to Coran about it.”

Hunk nodded, still holding up Lance. “Kay. Where’s this shuttle? Don’t know how far we can all walk...considering our…current circumstances.”

“I rented one already. We just have to get there.” Shiro turned back to Keith, bending down next to him. “You doing okay? Want to try standing?”

Keith shrugged. He felt really sick still, but Shiro was looking at him with pleading eyes and he knew if he couldn’t walk, the black paladin wouldn’t hesitate to carry him.

“Yeah,” Keith mumbled, pushing himself up from the floor with his hands. He swayed a little, but managed to stay upright.

Shiro shot out his hand to catch him, steadying Keith. “Alright, let’s go. Pidge, Allura, Hunk—can you take the bags?”

They took it slow, Shiro hovering next to Keith in case the red paladin needed help. He was far too pale, eyes red rimmed, and he kept stumbling over his own feet. When they finally reached the shuttle, Keith sagged against Shiro.

“Okay…” Shiro hummed, supporting Keith with one arm and reaching out to open the door. The shuttle looked a lot like an earth car, only it hovered a few centimetres off the ground.

“I’ll drive. Hunk, are you okay sitting with Keith and Lance?” He gestured first to Keith who was sagging against him, eyes closing, then to Lance. The blue paladin was swallowing hard, eyes trained on the ground. His breath hitched with hiccups but he was desperately trying to muffle them into his hand.

Hunk nodded. “Yeah, of course.”

They piled into the car--Shiro in the front seat with Allura next to him to navigate, Keith, Hunk, and Lance in the middle seat, and Pidge in the back.

The drive started out okay. Keith closed his eyes and lay his head against the window as soon as they started.

Hunk kept an eye on him, but his attention was mostly focussed on Lance. His skin had taken on a sickly greenish white tinge. That was concerning. As were the hiccups which jolted his chest, now becoming more frequent and violent.

“You okay?” Hunk asked, voice gentle and soft.

Lance gave him a pained look, eyes helpless. “Ye--*hic* yeah.” He swallowed shakily.

“Mhm...Sure.” Hunk did not believe him for a second. “Hey um...Shiro?” he called up to the front seat. “Do you have like...a bag or something?”

Shiro’s heart sank. He should have thought to grab more airsick bags from the plane. But nope...He had been too focussed on getting Keith looked after.

“Um...Yeah, hold on.” He looked around--nothing. “Allura?” He gave her his best pleading eyes.

Lance hiccupped again, his whole face going red when the sound echoed through the car.

Keith jolted awake, mumbling something. “Shut up, Lance. ‘m tryna sleep.”

“Shiro…” Hunk was starting to panic. He had one hand on Lance’s back, holding him steady. “There is gonna be puke all over this shuttle in about thirty seconds. I need the bag like...now!”

Allura grabbed a plastic bag from Shiro’s bag, emptying out the snacks from it before throwing it back at Hunk.

Hunk snatched up the bag and shoved it in front of Lance’s face. He was just in time. Lance lurched forward, burping loudly. He groaned, arm snaking around his aching stomach. “Nnngggg….Don’t feel--*hic* good.” He lurched forward again, stomach straining as he gagged. A rush of vomit shot up his throat and spilled over into the bag. He coughed, spitting. Spit and bile clung to his lips, dripping down his chin.

“Shhh, you’re okay. Just let it out. It’s okay, Lance.” Hunk rubbed the boy’s back, holding the bag steady with his other hand. Then he felt something dripping onto his arm. It was warm and...mushy… Hunk’s stomach dropped. Oh god. He looked down and sure enough, vomit was leaking from the bag, dripping down on Lance’s pants and his own arm. Yuck!

“Um...Shiro...You don’t happen to have like...another bag or something?” Hunk called tentatively. He didn’t want to alarm Lance. Or Keith… Keith who was now pressed against the shuttle door, _shaking_.

Hunk swallowed. Okay, this was bad. Keith looked _terrified_. His eyes were blown wide with fear and his face was pale and drenched in sweat. His throat worked up and down, swallowing, gulping.

“Hunk…” Lance called, voice strained from all the stomach acid that had been forced up his throat. “Think the bag is leaking…”

Yeah...no kidding. Hunk was good at looking after sick people. He had siblings, younger cousins. And back at the Garrison he always looked after Lance when he wasn’t feeling well. But now...Now things were really bad.

“Um..yeah..shit...yeah…um...Do you think you’re done?” Please say yes, please say yes.

Lance shook his head miserably. Another burp rumbled up and he stuck out his tongue, breathing hard. Saliva dripped into the bag. He panted, stopping to swallow every few seconds. “Hunk,” he groaned, all too aware of what would happen if he threw up again.

“Dude, it’s okay. If you’re going to puke you’re going to puke. No use trying to stop it.” Hunk sighed and let his hand fall to Lance’s back, massaging the taut muscles.

“Lance!!” Keith begged, voice strained with fear. “Don’t puke. Please. Please don’t puke.” He was pressed up against the door, shaking uncontrollably and whimpering. Actually _whimpering_.

Lance shuddered, shoulders tensing as his stomach heaved. He opened his mouth and a flood of brown mush poured into the plastic bag. Oh god, it was so much. And now it was leaking all over him.

“No!” Keith wrapped his arms around himself, yanking his bag up so it was safe from puke splatters. “No no no no no….”

Hunk was at a loss of what to do. Lance was holding the bag up to his face, trying to keep the holes closed with his hands. Puke was getting everywhere. “Okay um...hold on. Ah…here.” He grabbed Lance’s jacket from the floor and lay it over his lap. Hopefully that would catch most of the vomit. But there was still Keith to worry about. Keith who was cowering against the car door, looking very very close to puking himself.

Lance jerked forward again, retching, and Keith tensed, his whole body going rigid. He swallowed, throat bobbing, eyes wide.

With nothing else to use, Hunk snatched up Keith’s own jacket and shoved it in front of his face just as he heaved up water and weird pink alien ginger ale. He gulped, trying to breath, but his stomach heaved again, and he broke off coughing.

“No! No no no….” Keith tried to shove his jacket away, mortified. He was shaking. Terrified. Breath ragged and irregular. “Shiro. Sh-iro,” he whimpered. “Stop. Please stop driving.” He was desperate. He needed to get out. Lance was throwing up everywhere and it was getting on his boots and now he was so nauseous he could barely see. “M gonna throw u--hhrppp.” He broke off, shoving his jacket to his face.

“Shiro!” Pidge yelled from the back seat. “Lance just puked _everywhere_. For quiznak’s sake _pull over_!”

“I can’t. There isn’t anywhere. You can’t just pull off on this planet!” Shiro shot back. He was stressed and frustrated he couldn’t help. The sounds coming from the back seat were horrible. Lance was puking so much. It was shocking the blue paladin could hold so much.

And Keith...Shiro knew how terrifying this situation was for him. And to hear him crying in the back seat, pleading with him to pull over. Because of course Keith would get sick if Lance threw up right next to him in the car. He really should have stolen airsick bags from the flight.

“Okay, it’s okay, Keith.” Hunk turned to the red paladin, keeping his voice quiet and gentle. “We can’t pull over here, but we’re almost at the hotel.” He hoped that was true.

Keith shuddered, breath hitching as his panic spiked. “I wanna get out. Please. Please tell Shiro to stop. I ca--can’t do this.” He broke off, half sobbing, half heaving.

Hunk’s heart broke. It was terrifying to see Keith so scared and lost and panicked. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. Take a deep breath. You’re okay, Keith.” He turned his full attention to the red paladin, ignoring Lance for the moment. At least he seemed to have hit a lull in his puking.

“Just breathe, in and out. With me.” He took Keith’s shaky hand and pressed it to his chest, ignoring the slimy bile that smeared against his shirt. “Feel my heartbeat. See? It’s okay. I know you feel really sick right now. And it sucks. And it’s scary. But it’s gonna be okay.” Hunk was rambling. He really hoped this helped because that was really all he could manage right now. This situation was a scene out of a nightmare.

* * *

 

They made it to the hotel in less than five minutes. As soon as Shiro parked, Keith threw open the door. He launched himself out of the car, tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away. Brick caught his foot, sending him stumbling down into the grass where he lay whimpering, arms curled around himself. He’d never felt so sick in his life.

The world spun around him, dizzy patches of green and blue swirling out of control. It made him want to throw up again. He dragged himself upright, leaning over the grass and heaving until his chest throbbed. But all that came up was slimy spit that was so foul and bitter it made him gag all over again.

“Oh god...Keith!” Shiro ran to him, abandoning the car. He dropped to the ground, curling an arm around Keith to hold him up as he continued to retch. He brushed his hand against the red paladin’s forehead and winced, heart sinking. “He’s burning up. Hunk! We need to get him inside.”

Hunk was hauling a still heaving Lance out of the car. As soon as he stopped, Lance leaned over, retching into the grass. “Hunk...Don’t feel good…” he mumbled, swaying on his feet.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Um...okay.”

“I’ll run ahead and get checked in,” Pidge offered. She was not keen on staying around a projectile puking Lance.

Shiro managed to get Keith sitting up, but he sagged heavily against him, gasping to catch his breath. Shiro rubbed his back in calm, soothing circles, murmuring softly to him. Then Pidge was back and they hauled Keith and Lance upstairs.

Shiro managed to get Tylenol into them and got them settled in one of the bedrooms. Hunk came by with buckets, setting them next to each of their beds in easy reach. Then they all collapsed in the living room, exhausted. This day couldn’t get any worse.


End file.
